A Catholic priest told a teenage parishioner of the "difficulties a priest has being celibate" before he allegedly touched her breast, a court heard yesterday.
Enniskillen Crown Court was told that 36-year-old Father Joseph John Quinn, Parochial House, Circular Road, Dungannon, had invited the girl to the house for "tea and biscuits" before he allegedly indecently assaulted her.
Prosecution lawyer Mr Philip Mateer told the jury that just beforehand as they sat on the sofa, Father Quinn had told his alleged victim that she was a "beautiful girl" and "how nice it would be if they could just slip into his bed and make love without anyone knowing".
Father Quinn denies a single charge of indecent assault against the girl between July 1995 and January 1996 when the girl would have been around 17 or 18. Mr Mateer told the jury that Father Quinn "attempted to kiss her on the mouth" but that when she turned away from him, "he put his hand over her left breast, over her clothes".
Later the now 25-year-old claimed that Father Quinn had told her that "if he wasn't a priest, he would be my boyfriend". The woman said that after he allegedly touched her, she immediately stood up and said "I have to go now". She claimed that as she was rushing from the Parochial House, he followed her to the door and called to her that he would "see you at Mass on Sunday". However, the woman said she did not go "in case he was going to be there".
Under cross examination from defence QC, Mr Jim Gallagher, it was suggested to her that "the incident you allege, in fact, did not take place", but she flatly refuted that saying: "That's not correct." However, she did concede that she may have got the dates of the alleged offence mixed up.